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Riverdale Farm, park zoos move to chopping block

Avigyle Aronovitch, 6, and David Elinson, 3, get to pet a friendly goat during their visit to Riverdale Farm. The farm is in danger of being closed down to cut costs for the city. (TANNIS TOOHEY / TORONTO STAR)

As he introduced 3-year-old Emily to the cherished rural oasis, where sheep bleats drown out highway hum, Justin Sampson paused to consider a Toronto without Riverdale Farm.

“I’ve been coming here since I was 4 years old. My mother used to bring us here all the time. Now I can bring my daughter here, and it’s free,” he said. “It blows my mind that (Mayor Rob Ford) could think of closing it down.”

As Torontonians digested the latest city consultant’s report, which also suggests closing zoos at High Park and Centre Island, and the Toronto Environment Office, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday asked them to keep an open mind and tell councillors what needs to survive.

“We’re putting everything on the table and it will be up to council to decide what to cut — some things are obviously totally unreasonable,” he said. “Politicians are always susceptible to public opinion; that always plays a part in the decisions we make. But some things will go.”

The KPMG review of parks and environment services, released Thursday, was the fourth commissioned to identify the city’s “core services” and what can be cut. Four more will be released on staggered days next week.

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Instead of finding the “gravy” Mayor Rob Ford promised to strain from the city budget, KPMG has so far suggested likely non-starters — taking fluoride out of drinking water — and the painful, like closing city-run daycares.

“It’s an incredible turnaround,” said Ryerson University politics professor Myer Siemiatycki. “Rob Ford got elected by selling Torontonians a political fairy tale and, with these reports, it’s turning into a horror story.”

Equally scornful was Councillor Paula Fletcher, a parks chair under former mayor David Miller.

“The hits just keep on coming — people are asking if they’re serious or if these reports are some kind of joke,” she said. “Parks aren’t a core service? Of all the city services, that’s one people all over this city can agree on.”

The review deems 83 per cent of the $175.1 million parks budget “essential”, most of it for forestry. Almost all the rest is “discretionary”.

The report suggests eliminating the small zoo and farm attractions to save $1.27 million, with the caveat that “these are enjoyed by many Toronto residents.”

The $11.5 million Toronto Environment Office, which does research, dispenses grants and offers programs to encourage sustainable living and a “green economy,” is deemed “largely discretionary.”

“Elimination of this program would impact some revenue generation and have a detrimental effect on partner organizations and volunteers involved.”

The proposal was swiftly condemned by the Toronto Environmental Alliance’s Franz Hartmann. “Torontonians don’t want to live in a city that considers clean air and a clean environment ‘gravy,’” he said.

The report continues: “Currently, maintenance of parks, sport fields, trails and horticulture is delivered by city staff. There may be an opportunity to contract out the maintenance of these facilities either to interested community groups on a volunteer basis, or to a third-party landscaping service provider.”

That idea was met with skepticism from Bill Aird, convener of the Willowdale Sports Club, a softball team for adults that plays Sunday nights in Hendon Park.

“The maintenance of the diamonds is awful now,” he said.” I grit my teeth every time I think about it.” Leagues might have to raise fees to do it, he said, especially when dealing with issues such as drainage problems and filling and smoothing diamonds, which takes special equipment.

Susan Baker, of the Riverdale Share Community Association, said it would be difficult to get busy people engaged in volunteering for park care, and too much disagreement among those who did.

“Who is going to volunteer to pick up litter? And while people are mostly good about picking up after their dogs now, they may not be if the city isn’t in charge. If the city doesn’t put effort into the park, then people won’t put effort into it.”

There is no mention in the KMPG report of the fate of hundreds of city workers who groom the parks now. The Ford administration has a goal of slashing the city workforce.

Weekly grass cutting may be unnecessary except for “high-use surfaces” such as playing fields, the report suggests, and there could be less plowing of parking lots and paths, despite a risk of more slip-and-fall claims.

Fewer trees could be planted, and $490,000 saved by scrapping the Urban Agricultural Service that encourages people to grow food on city parkland.

Councillor Norm Kelly, the parks and environment committee chair, would not endorse or reject any of the report’s findings.

“The devil’s in the details. But so too are the opportunities. Committee will decide,” he told reporters. “I don’t think you can reach any conclusions until you hear from the deputations, and we have a chance to grill KPMG.”

With files from Alyshah Hasham and Paul Moloney

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